3 Burning questions following Kings win over Cavs
The Sacramento Kings picked up their 14th win of the 2022 season on Friday night, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-95. The win came on the back of a game-ending 19-0 run by the Kings that saw them turn an eight-point deficit into an 11-point victory.
Despite playing without star guard De’Aaron Fox in this one, the Kings were able to get off to a scorching start. They closed the first quarter with an 11-point lead, 31-20. That diminished rather quickly, though, and things were tied at the halftime break. Ultimately, the late run and the team pulling things together defensively in the fourth quarter keyed what was arguably the Kings biggest win of the season.
Questions are always present, though, which is no different following this game. Not all are bad and not all can be answered right now, but a few are particularly hot and need to be asked.
Kings Burning Question: Will De’Aaron Fox miss more time?
The main reason this win was so impressive for Sacramento was because of who they were able to do it without. De’Aaron Fox had the questionable tag heading into this one and there were reasons to believe he would be suiting up well ahead of tip-off.
When game time rolled around, though, Fox was ruled out for the night alongside Terence Davis. It still seems as if it’s nothing to be overly concerned about and this might have been a case of the Kings wanting to be smart with their star player in the midst of a turnaround season for the franchise.
Kings fans can all agree with the team on that decision. Don’t force anything and let guys get right before asking them to return to the court. Everyone wants to enjoy this team for the whole season. In this game, they proved they can win short-handed and will be able to get by if and when players miss some time throughout the season.
We must ask, though, will Fox possibly miss more time due to this foot injury? Four games remain on the Kings tough road trip through the Eastern Conference, and having Fox for as many of those games as possible will be a big factor in what kind of record the Kings return home with.
Even though they will be able to scrape by without Fox if needed, we also want to see him take the court and be healthy for as many games as possible. Not only is he one of the faces of the Kings franchise but he also is in the mix to earn an all-star spot this season. More games played will increase his chances, but he has to be at full strength.
Hopefully, he will be able to play on Sunday when the Kings take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.